QUITO (Reuters) - A volcano in the Galapagos islands that
spewed molten lava is not a threat to 100-year-old giant
tortoises living around the crater, island officials said on
Friday.

The 5,541-feet- (1,690-metre-) high Cerro Azul mountain
started spewing lava on Thursday after 10 years of inactivity
on the largest island of the Galapagos archipelago, a chain
formed from volcanoes thrusting from the Pacific Ocean.

"There is no threat to the local human population ... nor
for the tortoise population because lava rivers are flowing in
the opposite direction," the Galapagos Park said in a statement
after its rangers flew over the mountain to assess the
eruption.

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In the last eruption in 1998, rare tortoises were airlifted
from around the crater on helicopters to escape the lava, but
several massive turtles were burned.

"I could see the red glow from my house last night," said
Jacqueline Brunf, a New York native who owns a tour operator
business on another of the islands. "It was really strange we
didn't feel anything or hear anything."

The Galapagos islands are part of Ecuador and lie 600 miles
west of the South American mainland.

English naturalist Charles Darwin developed his evolution
theory after studying their unique animal population.

The islands are scarcely populated, but the United Nations
last year said the Galapagos' pristine environment was in
danger due to booming tourism and immigration.